New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-14
GOSSIP AMONG Y1CHTSNEN.
VARIOUS IMPROVEMENTS DISCUSSED.

HOW TINE ALLOWANCES SHOULD RE CALCULATED
UTILIZING ELECTRICITY.
Tie question as 20 what forms the Jest basis FOR
calculating time allowances foI yachts Vill prob
ably long remain unsettled, but the suggestion re-
Gently made by New-YorS Journal to tax sail area
alone seems maniiestly absurd. IL would he play
ing s;rai ght into the hands OF the cutter men," said
a member of tle NewYoIk Club. " For instance,
tho Puritan's mainsail is one-thrd larger than the
Genesta's II the Puritan had had TO allow the
Genesta time Oh anything ike that basis, tho
Genesta wonli have the Americas Cup easily
and no sloop would ever recover it while such u
rule of measurement prevails. IL one model is SO
tar superior to another that it will carry great
deal more sail it onght to get all the benefit to be
derived from its superior sail-carrying power and
not be handicapped because of 1T Such rule
would give narrow beam cutters great an adj
vantage that no broad beam slo1p coald Lope sue
cessfully to compete with them"
John Harvey, tho "out-and-Out cutter man"
said to the reporter hold Mr.. Burgess in high
esteen for the manner in which ho defended the
cup with the Puritan and afterward improved on
her v it'll the MaynoNer. / believe that few design
ers could have used these proportions 80 well. But
it takes Watson to beat the IIcX with like proper
tons. stick TO it that the Puritan type of boat
racing machine and tyre which must TO an
end, in fact Is fast doing SO, fer from Puritan to
Volunteer such big stride is made cutserw ise that
any fui Their advance must be deemed a centre
board cutter. When Burgess has found ont how
easily the still water ia removed compared to that
on the surface when 1T is rough. he will make his
improved Volunteer still less beamy and Deeper"
To all this it nay be sad that 1t viii not hurt the
boat that wins to cal! her a racing-nachiae, and
that from Puritan 10 Volunteer is not nearly so ig
stride cuttcr~ Use as from lrex TO Thistle Is siOop
Wise.
in La nj
duction OF steel Inasts and booms. Made OF steel
the masts and boOms would DC both lighter at least
cne-third-and stronger than wooden spars" said
Mr. Low. sand weight saved in spars adds much
to the stiffness of boat and 10 far more valuable
than weight saved elsewhere. i would have the
naiDmast made hollow so that the tOpmast when
lowered can be teIescoped into it, thus saving
windage also. When boats aie evenly matched in
other respects n saving by one boat of few hun
BOAT the victory. But lass weight would not be
the only thihg gained by the use OF a steel bo,r,.
that distnrbs the set Of the nainsaiI especially
when, IS is the custom with American yachts. the
mainsail is laced to the boom. The steel boom
would not bend, and the set OF the nainsa there
fore, would not be interfersd with. Thc advantage
thus gaiued would he quite equal 10 that gained
from decreased weight"
suggestion to tn, reporter: Il hear that the chief
obisetio, to these big sloops 10 the number Of
IL takes to manage the mansall the Priscila's
blows hard. She has several tons Of lead slowed
away in her keel Why couldn't some Of this lead
ballast be in tho shape of electrical accumulators
A ton charged with electricity would represent an
elective force of several horsepower. 1t would be
an easy matter to make this work windlass that
would serve equally we'll to haul up tho anchor or
haul in the nam sheet and it would render unne-
cessary tie use of many men Besides 1t would
supply the yacht with the best kind of light at
night. When the electricity Is exhausted from the
accumulaiors they could be rccharged-say from
an engine at the club ouse." Doubtless there arc
at resent practical obstacles to the application of
~ INIT Win w NV that fbeg m M f mi
day bs surmouutedf 1t would be odd to have the
ballast hauling up an anchor and tuggng at rope.
out scisnce has done stranger things than that
Captain J. w. Walters has just invented what he
STYLES a pend ulum marine engine and multitu-
bnlar boiler" Ii it At all bears out the claims
made for it. it will be peculiarly adapted to steam
Yachts and launches. 1t 10 said that one OF these
engines representing twenty-five horse,po and
35e revolutions per minute viii weigh only $50
rounds and occupy space only 10 inches high, IL
inches wide and 8 feet long.